Carlos Frias (4-4, 4.14 ERA) and Tim Hudson (4-6, 4.65 ERA) start in the second of a three-game series between the Los Angeles Dodgers (38-30) and the San Francisco Giants (37-32) at Dodger Stadium. The Giants won the last game 9-5 and San Francisco leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 7:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jun. 20 and can be seen on CSN-BAY, SportsNet LA and ML.
Frias is 1-1 with a 2.61 ERA in his appearances against the Giants, but goes up against a good San Francisco offense which is batting .268 this season. Justin Turner (.329, 23 Rs, 7 HRs, 28 RBIs, 1 SB) continued his strong play yesterday, going 3 for 3 with two runs, one home run, and two RBIs. Hudson is 7-6 with a 3.80 ERA when pitching against the Dodgers. He takes on a quality Los Angeles offense which is hitting .256 this season. Buster Posey (.297, 32 Rs, 10 HRs, 40 RBIs, 1 SB) has been successful at the plate for the Giants, going 3 for 4 yesterday with two runs, one home run, four RBIs, and one stolen base.
Los Angeles is a -145 favorite against San Francisco and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Dodgers have an overall money line of -338 and a record as the favorite of 34-26. Los Angeles has had an impressive season against division opponents, earning 25-16 and 26-17 records as the favorite and SU respectively. The Dodgers are one of the best in the MLB in terms of home runs with 85. Los Angeles leads the whole NL in walks, earning an average of 3.6 per game. As for the pitchers, the Dodgers are the third-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.19 so far this season.
In the other locker room, San Francisco is coming in with an overall money line of +70 and an impressive record of 20-12 as the dog. They are 12-6 as the underdog against NL West foes, and 16-19 SU. Offensively, the Giants have really sputtered in division games. They have decreased their season average of 4.0 runs per game by averaging 3.2 in those contests. The Giants allow 3.8 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 2.8 runs per game during that span.
The Giants have controlled the season series, 8-2. The Dodgers have a 35-22 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Hudson takes the mound. Frias (RHP) will be on the hill against the Giants, who have a 26-27 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – LAD, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Los Angeles is 15-12, while San Francisco is 11-9.
The Dodgers managed to give up six walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Giants who are coming in with a 3-2 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Giants are 3-19. The Dodgers have a 7-20 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 22nd in home runs, San Francisco has hit 54 this season. Los Angeles ranks second with 85 home runs.
Ranking 10th, Los Angeles is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 8.42 per game. San Francisco ranks in the top five at second with 9.22.
Ranking 10th, San Francisco is in the top 10 of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.725). Los Angeles ranks in the top five at second with an OPS of .766.
When the Giants allow at least one home run, they are 18-20, well-matched with the Dodgers who are 16-21 when allowing at least one homer.
